Communications Unit (1940–1945) 781 Naval Air Squadron formed on 20 March 1940, as a communications squadron at ,
RNAS Lee-on-Solent, although originally intended as a Reserve Amphibious Bomber Reconnaissance squadron to be equipped with six Supermarine Walrus amphibian aircraft. It was initially equipped with a variety of different aircraft types:
de Havilland Hornet Moth, a cabin
biplane trainer and tourer aircraft,
Fairey Fulmar, designed as
carrier-based reconnaissance/
fighter aircraft,
Fairey Swordfish biplane
torpedo bomber and
Supermarine Walrus amphibious maritime patrol aircraft. The squadron later received
Avro Anson multi-role aircraft,
de Havilland Dominie, a short-haul 6–8 passenger biplane
airliner,
Lockheed Hudson a
light bomber and coastal
reconnaissance aircraft,
Airspeed Oxford twin-engine trainer aircraft,
Percival Proctor radio trainer and communications aircraft,
de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane trainer aircraft and
Percival Vega Gull, a four-seater touring, military trainer and communications aircraft. During June 1943 the squadron received a small number of
Bristol Beaufighter II,
multirole combat aircraft, and then proceeded to run a conversion course, however, four months later this split off during October and formed part of
798 Naval Air Squadron, but training and refresher flying were added to the squadrons remit. A detachment, ‘B’ Flight’, was based at Heathrow from February 1944 and was equipped with Fairey Swordfish and a Percival Proctor. It was
Fairey's Great West Aerodrome, for the use of the
Admiralty, before moving to
Heston by October and then became
701 Naval Air Squadron in April 1945. After the
Normandy landings, an Avro Anson was based at
Rochester for the
Commander-in-Chief, The Nore. The Allied Naval Commander,
Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay , had a Lockheed Hudson as his personal aircraft. From early July 1944, 781 NAS flew to various airstrips on
the Continent for Royal Navy units using de Havilland Dominie, Lockheed Hudson and Airspeed Oxford aircraft. Later an ‘X' Flight was based at
Toussus-le-Noble from September and the Flight moved into
Germany in June 1945. On 31 July 1945, 781 Naval Air Squadron disbanded into
782 and
799 Naval Air Squadrons. Three de Havilland Dominie aircraft remained at Lee-on-Solent as a detached Flight of 782 Naval Air Squadron, and the Continental detachment became 'X' Flight of 799 Naval Air Squadron.
Communications Unit (1946–1981) 781 Naval Air Squadron reformed at HMS
Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, from ‘B’ Flight of 799 Naval Air Squadron, in June 1946. It was again designated a Communications Unit (known as the Southern Communications Squadron). It was equipped with de Havilland Dominie and
Beech Expeditor, a training and utility aircraft, with a
Search and Rescue Flight operating
Supermarine Sea Otter, an
amphibious aircraft. The ‘X’ Flight which was now equipped with Avro Anson XIX and Beech Expeditor, and operated on the Continent, returned to 781 NAS and then later disbanded during November 1947. The squadron was providing communications aircraft for
VIPs, operating an Instrument Examining Flight along with a Bad Weather Flying Training Flight (which involved flying in adverse weather conditions, day and night), by the autumn of 1951. It had previously provided a short detachment with Beech Expeditor C.2 at RNAS Ford (HMS
Peregrine) between 24 - 31 May 1950. Then in August 1952, when 799 Naval Air Squadron disbanded, it provided refresher flying again and 781 NAS consisted Communications, Training and Miscellancous, and Instrument Flying Examining sections, and was operating with
Percival Sea Prince, a British light transport aircraft, Beech Expeditor, de Havilland Dominie,
Fairey Firefly, a
carrier-borne fighter and
anti-submarine aircraft,
North American Harvard, an American advanced trainer aircraft,
Hawker Sea Fury, a British fighter aircraft,
Gloster Meteor, a British
jet fighter and Airspeed Oxford aircraft. Although when the Supermarine Sea Otter aircraft were withdrawn in the October, the unit no longer provided Search and Rescue duties. It formed a Junior Officers Air Course (JOAC) Flight in November 1952, equipped with four Fairey Firefly, two Gloster Meteor, an Avro Anson and a Percival Sea Prince. During September 1954 an ‘Admiralty Flight’ was formed of two Fairey Firefly and four Hawker Sea Fury aircraft, enabling flying practice for Admiralty pilots and staff. April 1955 saw the initial
de Havilland Sea Devon aircraft, a transport and communications version for the Royal Navy, of the
de Havilland Dove short-haul airliner, on the squadrons inventory. The JOAC Flight had replaced all aircraft except the Percival Sea Prince with
de Havilland Sea Vampire, a navalised de Havilland Vampire jet fighter and
Boulton Paul Sea Balliol advanced trainer aircraft and in September 1957 it was redesignated
702 Naval Air Squadron. 781 NAS took over the role of the Northern Communications Squadron in 1958. 1959 saw the squadron awarded the
Boyd Trophy for its efficiency in carrying out communications flights. It also saw the initial
Westland Whirlwind utility helicopter arrive. These were followed by
de Havilland Sea Heron aircraft, a transport and communications version for the Royal Navy of the
de Havilland Heron airliner, in 1961, and by 1967 the squadron consisted five de Havilland Sea Devon, three de Havilland Sea Heron and two Westland Whirlwind, along with a
Hawker Sea Hawk jet
day fighter aircraft, for use by the
Flag Officer, Air, Home. The Westland Whirlwind of the VIP Flight were withdrawn during 1969 and replaced with
Westland Wessex HU.5, an anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopter. The 1970s saw 781 NAS undertake
surveillance and fisheries protection flights and it operated these out of various airfields around the United Kingdom, including
Stornoway, on the
Isle of Lewis, in
Scotland,
RAF Manston, in
Kent and
RAF Valley, on the island of
Anglesey, Wales. It also had a de Havilland Sea Devon based at
Belfast between 1972 - 1973 and at
Prestwick, in South Ayrshire, Scotland, between 1974 - 1975. Just prior to disbanding the squadron was operating with Westland Wessex HU.5 for both Search and Rescue and VIP duties, de Havilland Sea Heron, de Havilland Sea Devon and a
de Havilland Chipmunk, a primary trainer aircraft. 781 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 31 March 1981. == Aircraft operated ==